After firing the sales director, Phillip and Marcia discuss job applications and the interview format.

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Preparation

We suggest you do the vocabulary activity below before you watch . Then watch the video and do the first task to check your understanding. You can read the transcript at any stage if you want. Finally, have a look at Task 2, which contains some business notes.

Philip Hart: So, how many applications did we get, Marcia?Marcia Boardman: Well...overall we’ve got over two hundred...PH: That many!?MB: Yes, but...most of which we can discard right away...people who don’t have the right experience, qualifications that kind of thing...PH: Of course...MB: ...and then we get the people who submit ten-page-long CVs, or CVs in comic book font, or green ink, or they attach a photo of themselves disco dancing...you know the kind of thing!MB: So, I whittled down the serious candidates to a shortlist of twelve people.PH: And we’ll interview all of them?MB: I think we should – but obviously I’ll let you have a look first.PH: Great...so, who have we got then?MB: Well, I think we’ve got some pretty strong candidates, two in particular...PH: They have the right kind of profile?MB: I’d certainly say so – a strong educational background, experience in multinational sales, language skills...PH: Good, I look forward to meeting them.MB: So I’d say we do the standard interview format..PH: Sure..MB: A few general questions, then onto specifics...PH: Yes, exactly – I want to hear specific details of when they’ve solved problems...MB: Yes and then something about “vision”, as you put it...PH: Yes...what do you think about a brief presentation?MB: I think that’s a good idea – we could ask them to give a short presentation on where they see the company going – and how they see themselves taking us there.PH: Great! You know something? I’m really looking forward to this!

When applying for a job in the UK it is usual to have to submit a Curriculum Vitae or CV (also known as a résumé in the USA).

A CV is a personal history of one’s education, professional history and job qualifications with a strong emphasis on specific skills relating to the position being applied for.

When shortlisting for suitable interview candidates employers will usually make this decision based on the CV and possibly a cover letter.

A cover letter, or covering letter, is a letter of introduction attached to or accompanying another document such as a curriculum vitae. Cover letters are generally one page at most in length, divided into a header, introduction, body, and closing.

Header: Cover letters use standard business letter style, with the sender's address and other information, the recipient's contact information, and the date sent after either the sender's or the recipient's address. The final part of the header is a salutation (e.g., "Dear Hiring Managers").

Introduction: The introduction briefly states the specific position desired, and is designed to catch the employer's immediate interest.

Body: The body highlights or amplifies on material in the résumé or job application, and explains why the job seeker is interested in the job and would be of value to the employer. Also, matters discussed typically include skills, qualifications, and past experience. If there are any special things to note such as availability date, they may be included as well.

Closing: A closing sums up the letter, and indicates the next step the applicant expects to take. It may indicate that the applicant intends to contact the employer, although many favour the more indirect approach of simply saying that the applicant will look forward to hearing from or speaking with the employer. After the closing is a valediction ("Sincerely"), and then a signature line.